I actually did something quite rare for me nowadays: I finished a book! The book in question was Think Like Chinese, by Zhang Haihua and Geoff Baker. I’d been looking for a book which went into more detail about Chinese culture and business and this fit the bill perfectly.
When I made my trip to China a few years back, I had heard that face was important to Chinese. Think Like Chinese really opened my eyes to just how important it is.
Face rules everything in Chinese life: from the smallest interactions to international relations. Now when I read about Chinese naval dustups and Google threatening to leave China I just laugh, because I know these situations could’ve been defused long before they ended badly. And now when my Chinese hosts honor me with a “spontaneous toast,” I’ll know it’s a face thing and I am expected to toast them right back.
China has a fascinating culture, especially for anyone interested in diplomacy like I am. With the right amount of kudos and back-slapping just about anything can get done and any misunderstanding smoothed out. Thanks to Think Like Chinese, all of this now makes sense to me. In fact, it seems so obvious now. The book helped me get in touch with my inner Chinese, and that”s a pretty powerful gift.